A California family got a call they never imagined when their dog who went missing 12 years ago was found on a woman’s rural property.
Zoey went missing months after she and her sister were adopted from a local animal shelter by a California family in 2010.
“We got her at the pound when she was six months old with her twin sister,” said Zoey’s owner, Michelle. “They were with us for about six months, and then we went to the store for about 20 minutes and came back and she was missing.”
Twelve years later, on Feb. 10, a stray dog was found on a rural property outside Stockton.
“We got a call that a black SUV had dumped a dog on this lady’s property,” Animal Services Officer Brandon Levin said. The dog appeared to be old and unwell, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said.
The authorities scanned for a microchip and discovered that the dog had been reported missing 12 years earlier in Lafayette. Because the chip was so old, the data labeled Zoey as deceased, according to the department.
Officials tracked down Zoey’s original owners and found they were living in another town less than 20 miles away.
Michelle met Levin in a nearby city to retrieve her long-lost pet and bring her to reunite with the family’s other 13-year-old dog.
“Honestly, I’m in shock. I definitely didn’t expect this to ever happen, so I’m really excited,” she said. “Excited to hopefully bring her back, get her healthy and live the rest of her life.”